Planting trowel



Dec. 11, 1934. F. scHMlETT PLANTING TROWEL Filed April 24, 1934 jl wil/77' WHEI'/ WHERE 1r PLN!" dumm/M34 Patented Dec. 11, 1934 lPartien orties PLAN TING TROWEL Ferdinand Schmiett, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor of one-third to Rosalie S. Jacoby, Los Angeles,

Calif.

` Application April-24, 1934, serial No. 722,126

s claimai. 47-57) This invention relates to a trowel, which is particularly useful when planting bulbs, small plants, or seeds. Seed catalogs frequently distribute vin formation in regard to planting of seeds, bulbs, or flowering plants, but this information is usually printed on the pages of a circular and is not usually immediately available in the garden Where the planting operations take place.

The general object of this invention is to provide a planters trowel, which will give information relative to different plants, bulbs, or seeds, which will greatly facilitate the planting operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a trowel having means for graphically indicating the depth at which different bulbs should be planted; also to provide the trowel with convenient means for indicating the distance apart that the different bulbs or plants should be set in the ground.

A further object of the invention is to provide a trowel having a blade of special form, particularly adapting it for performing the function of indicating the depth at which different bulbs should be planted with the trowel.

A further object of the invention is to provide simple means for supplementing the indications carried on the blade of the trowel, and associated with the trowel, for giving additional information which the gardener should have.

y A further object of the invention is to provide a trowel of improved form, having special means for increasing its utility to the gardener.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel parts and combination of parts to be described hereinafter, all of Which contribute to produce an efficient planting trowel.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification, While the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a trowel embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the trowel, taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a cross section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a plan of a leaflet carrying information in regard to planting, and which is i1- lustrated in the form of a roll within the trowel in Fig. 2.

Figure 5 is a front elevation illustrating another embodiment of the invention, in which the blade of the trowel has a different form from that illustrated in Fig. l.

Before proceeding to a detailed description of the invention, it should be stated that gardeners 5 trowels, as ordinarily constructed, are provided with a concave-convex blade, and usually are f provided with an integral handle for enablingthe blade to be handled. In accordance with my invention, I print legends on the blade of the trowel, l0 giving the names of'diiferent bulbs or plants, and the legend giving the name of any particular flower, is at a level above the tip of the trowel, indicating the depth to which that particular bulb or plant should be planted. If it were attempted to print such legends on a concavo-conveX trowel, the expense of the trowel would be greatly increased on account oi the fact that special and expensive dies would have to be formed for printing the legends on the trowel. Furthermore, a trowel blade as ordinarily constructed, does not provide suicient area for my purposes.

In accordance with my invention, I construct the trowel blade with flat areas, including a main plate or body portion, and this body portion is preferably provided with flat side wings. In this Way I provide atrowel blade having a very considerable superficial area, and by employing only fiat surfaces in the trowel blade, it is possible to form the blank for the blade, and print the legends on the blade at one operation and, if desired, the same dies that cut out the blank of the blade and print the legends upon it, can readily be adapted for completing the formation of the blade by bending the wings on the body portion of the blade. In practice, however, there are so many different kinds of bulbs and blades used by modern gardeners, that it is diflicult to provide suicient area on the blade to give the gardener all the information he should have. In order to overcome this difliculty, I provide the trowel with a tubular handle, and in the bore of the tubular handle I provide a roll giving additional information supplementingthe information carried directly on the trowel blade; and I provide means for maintaining the roll in the trowel handle, so that it will be protected from dirt and water. f

Referring more particularly to the parts, and especially to Figs. l and 2, l indicates the body r portion'of the trowel blade, and this body portion is in the form of a flat plate with integral flat side wings 2, which are bent to form an obtuse angle with the body portion 1, preferably as indicated in Fig. 3. The lower end of the body CTI 1 preferably tapers to a pointed tip 3. The upper part of the body portion 1 is substantially rectangular, and the lowerl edges of the wings 2 are preferably cut away to form inclined edges 4, that extend upwardly from the widest point of the tip 3. The body plate 1 is provided with a plurality of legends 5, indicating the names of different flowers or bulbs, and .the name of each plant is located at .a distance from the point of the tip 3, which is equal to the proper depth of planting for that plant or bulb. In this way the utility of the trowel is greatly increased. If desired, the legends giving the names of the different plants and flowers, may includeother legends 6 indicating the distance apart vthat each plant or bulb should be placed in the garden.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. l, the body plate l is lrelatively wide, and the wings 2 relatively narrow, and in this type of the invention I expect to provide all, or most of the legends .on the .body plate l.

The blade kof the trowel is preferably formed with an integral tubular handle 7, ,and at the inner end of rthis tubular handle, I provide a plug 8 preferably of wood or similar material, which reinforces the junction point between the blade and the handle, andwhich also operates as aclosure for the bottom of the chamber 9 that is formed within the handle. Within the tubular handle I provide a roll 10 formed of a small sheet or leaflet, on which legends l11 are printed, giving the names of different plants or flowers, and also carrying columns indicating when and where to plant the different flowers included in the list. This roll is illustrated in the developed form in Fig. 4. The roll 10 is carried as indicated in Fig. 2, within the tubular handle, and vit is protected from ydirt and moisture `by means `of a removable cap 12, which is carried by the outer end of the tubular handle. This cap `is preferably made of spun metal, and I prefer to form it with a rounded crown 13 and Awith a concavoconvex flange 14, which has its convex side inwardly, and which exerts spring pressure against the outer side of the tubular handle.

If desired, the trowel blade and the handle Vmay be provided with a scale 15 dividing thelength of the trowel into inches, or any other unit of measure.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 5, the blade has a body plate 1a of substantially triangular cross section, at the lower` end of which is formed a tapered tip 16, and the side wings 17 are formed by bending the material on inclined lines 18, the lower ends `of which terminate at the base of the tip 16j 'I'he wings 17 are preferably formed with curved side edges 19, which are convex so as to give a considerable area on the faces of the wings for legends 20. In other respects this trowel is constructed as illustrated in Figs. l and 2.

This vtrowel `has the advantage that the edges 19 of the wings give the lower end of the trowel a long tapered form that adapts the trowel admirably for reaming operations when digging a hole for a bulb or plant.

What I claim is:-

l. A planters trowel `having a blade with legends thereon giving the names of owers at different levels above the lower `end of the-trowel indicating the depth .for planting the flowers referred to in the `said legends, said trowel having a tubular handle, anda `roll removably mounted in said handle and bearing ylegends indicating the seasons for planting different flowers. v

2. A planters trowel having a blade'with a substantially flat surface thereon, said flat surfaces having legends thereon giving the `naines of flowers, said legends being locate-d at different levels above the lower end of the trowel, the distance of each legend above the tip of the trowel indicating -the depth for planting the flower referred to in the .corresponding legend, said trowel having a tubular handle, and a roll removably mounted in said handle and 4bearing legends giv ing information for planting diiferentVflo-wers.

3. A planters trowel having a blade with an integral tubular handle, a Yplug closing the end of the tubular handle adjacent the blade, a roll received in the said tubular handle .and bearing legends .giving information for planting different flowers, and a lremovable `capfor the outer end of the handle.

FERDINAND SCI-IMETT. 

